Protesting Inauguration Day

This Friday, January 20, things are going to change. There are a lot of ways to react to and process about Donald Trump being inaugurated as the president of the United States. In and around Seattle, there are some specific, positive ways to feel like your voice is being heard.

On Friday, the Socialist party in the Seattle area is hosting a march meant to be a direct response to the inauguration, from 5 to 8pm. The Resist Trump march will begin at Westlake Park in protest against the proposed border wall, rape culture, and the Dakota Access Pipeline and in support of Black Lives Matter, free healthcare and college for all, and immigrants’, women’s, and everyone’s rights.

A statement was published on the event’s Facebook page about the Socialist group’s statement and purpose for the march:

“The Democratic Party has proven they are incapable of stopping Trump. It is time to build a new party for the 99% based on the united power of all exploited and oppressed people, on movements for social and economic justice, on the belief that we CAN do better than this corrupt and rotten system!”

Over 12,000 people have marked themselves as interested, with 4,400 individuals saying they’re going.

On Saturday morning at 10am, a Womxn’s March will take place starting at Judkins Park. There will be speakers starting at around 10:30am, with the march planned to start by 11am heading toward the Seattle Center downtown. The route will be 3.6 miles. There’s more information at the march’s website.

The goal of the march is to “bring diverse women together for collective action,” in connection with the women’s march in the nation’s capital on the same day. Although the march is focused on the rights of women of all genders, races, sexualities, religions, and other backgrounds, “the march is open to people of all gender identities, ethnicities, ages, abilities, religions, and sexual orientations who believe womxn’s rights are human rights,” according to the march website’s FAQs page.

Right now, the Facebook event page has 43,000 people interested in participating—with over 38,000 marked as definitely attending. It’s going to be an impressive statement.

Disability March

While marches are a powerful presence and important tool, they’re not accessible for everyone. The Disability March gives an opportunity for those who cannot walk this Saturday to share their voices in another impactful way.

Other Important Options

If going out and marching isn’t your style for whatever reason, consider other ways to speak up:

Wear black on inauguration day, from an all-black outfit to a black armband or ribbon.

Donate money, supplies, and blankets to your local food bank or shelter.

Donate your time or money to an organization that supports women, people of color, immigrants, queer people, or other marginalized communities.

In times like this, we need to come together more than ever to make sure we all pull through.